Too me, it's a combination of two different things. First of all, there is increased mental pressure knowing that a miss will end the run. Secondly, in 14.1 there is often a need to do something extra with the cue ball, which often times makes one focus on what the cue ball is doing after the shot, thus taking your eye off the shot too early and causing a miss.

"The truth will set you free, after you've been beaten over the head with it until you accept it."

2 years ago in 2015 I played in the Columbus Classic straight pool tournament ran by the Columbus Ohio Straight Pool League. Played in 2 'qualifiers'. Paid out $120 in entry fees. First one at Cushions they changed the format without an announcement, taking a vote on it or asking the players permission. You CANNOT by law change the format of a tournament. Once you advertise or print up flyers you absolutely cannot change the format. This tournament was advertised as to 100 points in the winner's bracket & to 75 in the loser's bracket. This is what we played at the 2nd 'qualifier' at Bankshots in Hilliard. At Cushions in my 1st match I found out that the format had been changed to 75 instead of 100. I found out that when my opponent announced he had 75 & had won [he was buddies with the Tournament Directors]. He took great delight in this knowing that I was in the dark. There was no announcement & no one had informed me that the format had changed. If I had known this initially I would have made it clear to all that this is illegal & that everyone had a right to ask for their entry fee back.

In addition they had advertised this straight pool tournament as an amateur tournament. It specifically stated on the website & the flyers 'NO PROS allowed' [I still have one of the flyers in my possession]. 'Top 125 BCA players ineligible' is also on this flyer. When people say "no pros" they mean no people that play at pro speed. I was very surprised to see some of the 'A+' players that were allowed to enter your so-called 'No pros' tournament. I also noticed that not a single person was turned away for any reason. No one was questioned about their amateur status.

Should top money-makers around the state be permitted to play in an amateur event? I spoke with several players who could not stop talking about how high ranked they were in the BCA & how much prize money they have won in the past few years. Some players I have personal knowledge of, such as Mike Dunn. He plays with a $10,000 cue stick. Andre out of Airway Billiards in Dayton, who I played at Cushions bragged about winning BCA championships & how much money he brings in on the pool table.

Players that have played in ANY pro event cannot participate in amateur events. I'll bet half of the 23 entries I saw in the 1st 2 Central Ohio events have played in a pro event at least once.

What about paid pool instructors playing in an amateur tournament? Fair or not? One was at Bankshots playing in this tournament, Don Reed the owner & house pro of Bankshots in Hilliard.

What about an 'A+' player hosting a tournament at their own establishment, and then playing in the tournament and mowing down the entries to take prize money or qualify for the final tournament? Is that fair? Playing on the very equipment that they own? Again Don Reed of Bankshots. Who also ran the show, picking out which table he would play on & which player he would play.

Many players have the misconception that no "pro" would ever play in an amateur tournament. Pros want to win money. Some are hard up for cash. When a tournament such as this with $500-$1000 pots & a final tournament with $5000 up for grabs, the pro players & 'A+' players will come out of the woodwork.

"What is a 'B' Player"? vs. "What is an 'A' Player?" Here's the A-D scale from Capelle's "Play Your Best Pool" (p.386):

D: A beginner or someone who plays so infrequently that their game remains in the beginner category.

C-: A below average player - this denotes a player with some recognizable skills who has definitely risen from the ranks of beginners. This is the first major milestone.

C: An average player - describes a large section of pool enthusiasts with experience whose games perhaps have leveled off, or that only play occasionally.

C+: Above average player - this group plays a very acceptable game of pool. They tend to dominate their level of competition.

B-: This is perhaps the biggest hurdle, as a good number of players peak at the C+ level. A B- is a good player who is quite capable of running a rack of Eight Ball or Nine Ball. However, they usually lack consistency.

B: A solid, advanced player - these players can run out fairly regularly, but lack a little consistency.

B+: Players at this level are often mistaken for lower level A players when they are playing well because they play a very tough, well-rounded game. They can run out from nearly anywhere at anytime.

A-: Another big jump is required to break through to the "A" level. This group of players could be classified as semi-pros or top amateurs. They are very skilled in nearly all facets of the game. They run out easily and very often.

A: A professional quality player who can compete with and occasionally beat all but the best players. Very skilled, solid, and consistent. Runs multiple racks quite often. Tough to beat.

A+: Touring Pro - the best. Skilled in every area of the game. Breaks and runs out multiple racks regularly. Definitely in a class by themselves.

The simple interpretation of the A-D rating system of players:

A: a good player capable of running most racks or playing lock-up safeties.

B: a decent player capable of running racks and playing effective safeties periodically.

C: an average player who doesnít run racks very often and doesnít have much of a safety game.

D: a novice player who makes many mistakes, canít run even an easy rack, and never even considers playing safe.

Here is the kicker. The so-called 'qualifiers' did not matter. When the finals were held anyone with the $125 entry fee was allowed to participate. The 'qualifiers' were a sham. Many players in the finals did not qualify. So why play in a qualifier? They had the roster of winners of the qualifiers & the finals up on the internet previously. Also they had videos of the finals matches with the players names listed [looks like all of this has been taken down now]. All you had to do was match up the names & see anyone could enter the finals as long as they had the $$$. "Must play in a Qualifier to be eligible for state Finals" This is a direct quote from the flyer I have.

I have ran many tournaments myself. Always on the up & up. Not like this one.

i find that shots I make at one pocket are tough at straight pool
I miss easy shots and lose my confidence

the more i practice the worse I seem to get

it has not improved my one pocket playing

Your thinking neg. what do you have against dog's? All dogs are related to the wolf in my opinion, your missing the easy shots more than likely cause your taking eye off object ball - watching whitey. It sounds like you are using 14.1 as a filler, you will have to bang your head for a while. Most one pocket players are gamblers, this has nothing to do with being a student of the game Deanoc and more to do with fear and ego. I know cause 'I been there done that'. Straight pool is the foundation for all other pool games. I hope you don't think I'm bein' overbearing but - by the feel of your post it rings of - you wanting us (forum readers - and 14.1 enthusiasts) to know that you like one pocket). Mission accomplished. Let the one pocket go for a while and learn to build a strong foundation. Remember one pocket allows a player to rest in between difficult shots and is a different rhythm, 14.1 is demanding in that there is never a rest from offense while practicing (except in pre shot routine while not down on the shot). Also in closing I will add that practicing defense is not going to be that productive unless you are already a world class player, to practice offense is real important. Animal analogies are usually a bad sign in relation to your pool game. Good Day.

In one pocket you never actually HAVE TO shoot anything. You could be dead straight in, yet choose to play a safe, which is extremely easy to do, compared to straight pool. Yes, there are more "tricky" shots in one pocket, banks, kicks etc, but you don't even have to make them, just get close and your opponent will be forced to deal with that ball or at least consider it. So in reality, you could stay within your comfort zone at all times.

Straight pool forces you to shoot. In many cases, when an opponent misses you will have a kind of tricky first shot, but once that is made, the table is easy. This puts the most pressure on you, because it means that if you miss, you lose (or at least will be severely punished). Safeties are very tricky once the table is even partly open. Also, once the run is started, you are under pressure to run out the rack. You can't really do a two and stop and expect to win anything. You will often, despite the fact that you can choose your shots, find yourself being forced to shoot shots you are not really comfortable with to keep a run going or getting it started. In one pocket you can stall forever. You don't even have to try anything at all, but just take scratches. And even then, the opponet can't just touch the ball and give it back to you, but he has to come up with something in response to it.

In one pocket you never actually HAVE TO shoot anything. You could be dead straight in, yet choose to play a safe, which is extremely easy to do, compared to straight pool. Yes, there are more "tricky" shots in one pocket, banks, kicks etc, but you don't even have to make them, just get close and your opponent will be forced to deal with that ball or at least consider it. So in reality, you could stay within your comfort zone at all times.

Straight pool forces you to shoot. In many cases, when an opponent misses you will have a kind of tricky first shot, but once that is made, the table is easy. This puts the most pressure on you, because it means that if you miss, you lose (or at least will be severely punished). Safeties are very tricky once the table is even partly open. Also, once the run is started, you are under pressure to run out the rack. You can't really do a two and stop and expect to win anything. You will often, despite the fact that you can choose your shots, find yourself being forced to shoot shots you are not really comfortable with to keep a run going or getting it started. In one pocket you can stall forever. You don't even have to try anything at all, but just take scratches. And even then, the opponet can't just touch the ball and give it back to you, but he has to come up with something in response to it.

You are to pocket tough shots in one hole as well, plus there's no stalling forever in one pocket. At the top level of tournament play three fouls is loss of game. One pocket = great game as long as both players are allowed to check the rack. The best pool games are bank,14.1, and of course one pocket. Never want to feel forced to do anything, each shot should be an adventure in all 3 disciplines. Deanoc asked kinda rhetorical question. We choke due to nerves which is usually related to ego/fear/approval, or losing focus gen due to thinking bout other life issues not related to bein' in moment of each shot adventure.

i find that shots I make at one pocket are tough at straight pool
I miss easy shots and lose my confidence

the more i practice the worse I seem to get

it has not improved my one pocket playing

14.1 is a FOCUS(ing) game.
It is hard to keep focusing a long period of time. Especially when we play pool. Brains seem to want some rest. Nowadays I try keep making run as little concentration as possible and focus hard only when I notice I need to be careful. When one need to be careful is need to be learned by practice.
Also fear is a big factor on 14.1. If one let fear creep in battle is lost. Fear should be replaced with focus. "Allright. I got this touchy shot that needs a drag shot.. I gotta just shoot that good. What can I do to give myself best possible chance to succeed..."
Shot could also be "easy" but one could know it is more difficult than first seems.

14.1 is a FOCUS(ing) game.
It is hard to keep focusing a long period of time. Especially when we play pool. Brains seem to want some rest. Nowadays I try keep making run as little concentration as possible and focus hard only when I notice I need to be careful. When one need to be careful is need to be learned by practice.
Also fear is a big factor on 14.1. If one let fear creep in battle is lost. Fear should be replaced with focus. "Allright. I got this touchy shot that needs a drag shot.. I gotta just shoot that good. What can I do to give myself best possible chance to succeed..."
Shot could also be "easy" but one could know it is more difficult than first seems.

Your post is ok but the battle word is wrong term, this may have been taught to you. Adventure is correct term, the word battle indicates friction and ego. I know once I hear ' battle' as a mindset - won or lost winning or losing is soon to follow. No need to even think like that when building a foundation during practice. You are correct however bout replacing fear with focus, only hard to stay focused if 1 tink it is. No need for a slow drag on it with the battle - that's in your mind. Get lost in the adventure and you wont worry bout the battle star galactica stuff. You say our brains - almost like your speaking for everyone ( generalization) also you never need worry bout focusing hard only when you say you feel the need to be careful - if your going into stack with no insurance then hopefully its cause you have no other option (to late to be careful at that point). Just keep focused and forget about the battle or dividing your focus - that will lead 2 fear like a swiss time peace'. The best players are able to have fun with the adventure and yet be focused. The most common error I see in the bars (as there are no real pool rooms left in my area) is to focus so much on who wins or the battle while attempting to give pool instruction. If you play a good game - winning is the end result. The most difficult part is giving each shot the SAME AMOUNT of energy and or focus. running 150 and out for breakfast has nothing to do with any battles only how much you love to practice 14.1. As you can tell poolmanis I am a non military athlete. :-) peace

My experience playing 14.1 for years and years is that straight pool requires you to know *all* the shots.

I mean, really and truly know them all, at all speeds, with all kinds of position plays -- particularly position plays that require small but precise movements of the CB. All that going one rail and popping out for position on the next ball, often used at rotation games, is a relatively small component of your 14.1 tool box. To keep a run going you need an exquisite level of position play and that is not apparent until you start to reach the higher runs.

So, though many of the shots at 14.1 look simple and similar to basic shots we all do know, it's all the subtle but crucial variations that throw us off and take time to learn. It's the ability to riff on a basic set of shots that requires more knowledge and familiarity. After all, it just takes one shot to come up that you don't know or can't execute consistently with precision and "poof" your run is over.

It's a humbling game because it looks so simple, and we all truly believe in our heart of hearts that we should be able to do this simple thing. But alas...

You answered your own question. Without cost of some type (only playing yourself). Expecting to get better....speaks for itself.

NEVER in my life have I gotten better from practicing, practicing is a completely different animal and one I use to warm up or work on areas needing attention. Practice.....will never Compare to match play and will NEVER improve your play as much as competition that has MEANING.